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Gurnee staff preview tax‑generation report and say proactive redevelopment strategy will follow
Summary
Finance and planning staff described a draft report to map where the village’s major tax streams are generated and outlined a more proactive approach to redevelopment and business retention, including potential incentives and zoning adjustments.
Village finance and community development staff told the Board Committee of the Whole on Oct. 27 that they have a draft fiscal‑growth and redevelopment report that will map where major taxes (sales, hotel, food & beverage, amusement) are generated and provide a basis for measuring diversification and vulnerability.
Finance staff said the draft covers geographic tax‑generation patterns and aims to produce an annual reproducible report; Department of Revenue confidentiality rules require staff review before public release. The village expects to finalize the calendar‑year 2025 dataset and release the report in early 2026 for board review.
Ellen, a community development presenter, described layering revenue and property‑use data with market analysis and resident input to decide whether the village should incentivize uses or adjust zoning. She cited the village’s Compass 2040 plan (adopted Oct. 2020) and a completed example at the ‘‘triangle’’ site where staff and the board agreed on a desired future state and understood likely incentive requests. Ellen said that typically the village responds to market interest (for example, a chain retailer seeking a specific site) but that the new work aims to be more proactive so the village can present preferred opportunities to the market.
Staff discussed current zoning‑code review work, a recent zoning amendment addressing oversized garages, and a possible change to landscaping requirements for commercial corridors (increasing required tree counts in 25‑foot buffers). Community development also flagged an increase in electronic message board sign permits and said it is evaluating whether to convert those reviews to a standard approval rather than special‑use permits.
Staff noted a 28‑acre Tri State Business Park parcel south of the Grand Avenue interchange recently went to auction and is under contract; the buyer’s intended use was not disclosed. Trustees asked staff to be more proactive with owners of visible or strategically important parcels so the village can engage early if a use change is imminent, rather than after a sale or lease is executed.
